Electrical connectors are designed to assure satisfactory electrical contacts. Two distinct challenges, amongst others, are known to inhibit such satisfactory electrical contacts. First, the positioning of contact terminals within the electrical connector may not be ideal, which may result in a failure of electrical contact, intermittent electrical contact or an electrical contact which degrades or fails over time. Second, sufficient exposure of the contact terminals with a conductive fluid such as non-resistive water may short the electrical contact.
In order to address the positioning of contact terminals within electrical connectors, terminal position assurance (TPA) features have been developed, which lock the terminals in positions suitable for full electrical contact. TPA features known in the art may be front-loaded or rear-loaded, each of which configuration presents its own advantages and disadvantages. By way of example, rear-loaded TPA connectors, in addition to assuring proper position, may also support the terminals disposed within the connector, ensuring the primary locking finger of the housing cavity is properly positioned, thereby increasing the assurance of the positions and also may provide additional retention strength.
Preventing shorting of the electrical contact by conductive fluid requires protecting the contact terminals from exposure to conductive fluids. In a typical electrical connection, there are at least three pathways for exposure—the interface of the wires for the terminals of the plug connector with the housing, the interface of the wires for the terminals of the receptacle connector with the housing and the interface between the plug connector and the receptacle connector.
In order to achieve both TPA and prevent shorting from conductive fluids, each of the three primary routes for exposure must be suitably sealed without interfering with the TPA feature. Interface seals between plug connectors and receptacle connectors are known in the art positioned so as not to interfere with TPA devices for either front-loaded or rear-loaded electrical connector housings. Additionally, seals for the interface of wires for the terminals of receptacle connectors and plug connectors are known in the art for front-loaded TPA devices and are possible without interfering with the operation of the TPA devices because the front-loaded TPA devices are removed from the interface of the wires with the housings. However, known seals for the interface of wires for the terminals of receptacle connectors and plug connectors prevent operation of rear-loaded TPA devices because the rear-loaded TPA devices and seals for the wires must occupy the same space.